Stress Management

My last few blog posts have been controversial, so I have decided to take a step back with a more relaxed blog post. This one is on how to manage stress. Well not everyone’s stress, but how I handle mine.

Lately, my eye has been twitching non-stop which is a pretty good indicator that I am stressed. I don’t remember when my eyes started twitching as signs of stress; I remember it started hurting after a while. The weird thing is, it used to be my right eye that had problems, but as of right now it’s my left eye. I’m not sure what’s changed, all I know is I need to de-stress.

This isn’t a self-help article, I’m writing this more for me than for you, but if it helps you great. There are a few things doctors tell you to do to keep your stress under control, but if we are honest, most of it doesn’t work. I can’t sit and make a list of ten things every day that supposedly help my stress level. I am way too busy. So instead of going through a list, I have been finding little ways to work on myself throughout the day.

1. Finding time to breathe- I know what you’re thinking, everyone breathes. Yeah, I know we do it all the time, but when was the last time you breathed in and thought about how good it feels to be breathing? When was the last time you breathed in, smelled everything, and said: “Thank the lord I am here and alive, I can fucking do this.”? If you’re like me, it’s probably been a little while. Every day my eye twitched, and at some point, I excuse myself to breathe. It doesn’t matter where I am; I even do this at work.

2. I drink something hot- I have read a ton of articles about how coffee is worse for anxiety or brings your stress level up, a billion several reasons why I shouldn’t be drinking coffee. But here’s what they don’t tell you. When you’re a high stressed, anxious being, it’s hard to feel human. If a hot cup of coffee is going to make you feel just a slight bit more human, and relaxed, drink up.

3. Walking/Jogging- So this one is on the lists of things doctors should say you need to do. It’s pretty accurate. I don’t mean get on a treadmill or elliptical at the gym when I say walking, I mean go outside. As I get older I notice I am inside more and more, I feel trapped and confined, I have to get outside. Maybe you hate walking, sit outside and read a book. Do anything that involves being outside, just remember, walking is good for you.

4. Keep a food journal- There are multiple reasons I do this, but the biggest reason I personally do this is because I can remember how I am feeling by what I eat. I noticed when I am more stressed; I eat more candy than on a normal day. I consume more food than I should, and that makes me more stressed out. If I am conscious of what’s going in my body, I feel more in control and less stressed.

5. Do something for you- Every two weeks I get my toes and nails done. This is something that is mine, that I won’t give up, something I will always find money for because it helps me feel confident about myself. I go for a full day, I sit, I think to myself, and I enjoy it. Now not everyone is going to love spending an entire day in a spa; maybe you’re more of a hiker. Well, whatever it is, set time aside for that one thing, that can be yours and do it.

These are all the things that help me get by every day. These are tips that I use personally, but everyone is different, so you must evaluate yourself and determine what will work for you. The best solutions are ones that you come up with on your own. No one else can tell you what sets off your stress, or what will help it, that’s something for you to reflect on.

I get the left eye too. It’s actually visible.
I have found massaging my jaw helpful. The TMJ joint. There are videos online. stress and teeth clenching go hand and hand.
I’ve read a person who drinks coffee regularly becomes immune to the regular caffeine intake. I love my warm creamy coffee. I hear you.

Finally, magnesium and or GABA. Both over the counter. Both excellent stress relief. I use gaba for bad days. Magnesium every night.

I will have to try GABA, I have seen people take it but never knew it was for stress! My eye twitching is also visible and I sort of get embarrassed by it, but I’m also still working on learning how to de-stress.

I do too. I actually think I’m more stressed with out coffee, maybe because it’s addictive and that’s a side effect of not drinking my daily cup. But over all, if it helps me stress level, I’m not giving it up.

Twitching eye … definitely stress and also tiredness I find too. It’s really annoying. Great post and I’m looking forward to reading more. It’s good to read other people’s ways of de-stressing. I have to really drum these things into me!

I love finding out what others do to help stress level. I also don’t sleep very well, so it would make sense if it had something to do with sleeping habits as well! I will have to look into that, thank you for reading and giving me your input!

This was yet another amazing post! I know I do not deal with my stress the right way at all, so this was very helpful to me. Now I can not promise you I will always follow your great advice, but I will try.
I also thought your other posts were great. Don’t worry about it they were controversial, they were great! It seems like everyone has an opinion on everything and no one is ever going to agree. I kind of think that people just want to something to argue about. I appreciate your honesty. Being completely real is not easy because of others judgement, but it is a wonderful thing to have!

Thank you for taking the time to read! It really means a lot when you take the time to respond and giving me your input! I do think people just want to argue about anything and everything, and sometimes it’s hard for me to post things because I know people will ignite my inbox.

You are more than welcome! Personally I am never one to argue, unless it is something I am very passionate about, but even then you can not change anyone else’s mind. It is okay to believe what we want and nothing you have ever said has been bad in anyway!! You are pretty great and honest!!

OMG! Just the other day my roommate was complaining about the exact same thing. Her eyes twitching! So it’s stress ey? Thought so too. I feel like the timing of yoir post is so coincidental considering the fact that the last month has probably been the most stressful month of 2018 so far. Definitely going to try out these tips 😊

Good points! I am more of a n active outdoor person- hiking is much more my thing. Walking has had to suffice, this year, as my schedule is tighter and involves placating sedentary folks more than it used to do.

I don’t know if it will make sense but the left side represents the feminine aspect of a person and the right the masculine…. each person has both aspects irrespective of the gender. So it may have something to do with that. 😊😁